Section 5 Amending the Charter

(a) How an amendment is proposed. An amendment to this Charter may be proposed in either of two ways:
(1) Through an ordinance approved by a two-thirds vote of all the members of the Council, providing for the submission of the proposed amendment to the electors; or
(2) By a petition setting forth the full text of the proposed amendment, signed by not less than ten percent of the electors of the City, and filed with the Clerk of the Council.
(b) Duty of the Council upon a sufficient petition. The Clerk shall determine the sufficiency of a petition as provided in this Charter and shall certify that determination to the Council. Upon certification that a petition is sufficient, the Council shall forthwith pass an ordinance providing for the submission of the proposed amendment to the electors.
(c) Election. The ordinance shall provide that the proposed amendment be submitted to the electors at the next regular municipal election occurring not less than sixty nor more than one hundred twenty days after passage of the ordinance. If no regular municipal election will occur within that period, the ordinance shall provide for a special election to be held within that period.
(d) Notice to the election authorities. Upon passage of an ordinance submitting a proposed amendment, the Clerk shall notify the election authorities of its passage and shall request that they provide for the election.
(e) Notice to the People. Notice of the proposed amendment shall be made in the manner provided by Article XVIII, Section 9 of the Ohio Constitution, including newspaper advertising as authorized by the laws of the State of Ohio.
(f) Effect of approval. If a majority of the electors voting on a proposed amendment approve it, the amendment becomes a part of this Charter.
(g) Certification to the Secretary of State. Within thirty days after the adoption of an amendment, the Clerk shall certify a copy of the amendment to the Ohio Secretary of State.

Copies of the proposal are available in the office of the Clerk of Council.

Julie A. Gibbons
Clerk of Council
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